In the current state of integrated circuit technology, a microelectronic device (e.g., an integrated circuit device) will often be in the form of a die. Such a die, or in some cases, more than one die, may be mounted onto an underlying substrate such as, for example, a carrier substrate to form a package. The package may then be physically and electrically coupled to another substrate such as, for example, a printed circuit board.
Interconnecting a die with a substrate, or a package with a substrate, may involve interconnecting the die or package to a bond pad of the substrate. The substrate may include many bond pads, which may be interconnected via traces, and a solder mask may cover at least some portion of the substrate. It has been discovered that the solder mask, and/or various other features of the substrate, may physically inhibit adequate electrical coupling between the bond pad and an interconnect material (e.g., a solder bump) coupled to the die or package.